Car-coupling.



' PATENTBD A1232, 1907:. LP, MUGARTHY.

GAR GU'UPLING. APPLICATION TILBD 119.111.1907.

fn: Napms PETERS ce., wAsH1NoroN,-n. c.

riNiTnn sTATns PATENT onirica.-

IOIIN F. McCARTI-IY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-TIIIRDS TO PATRICK F. MORIARTY AND JOHN L. RAMSAY, OF Ii\IDIANAPOLIS,

INDIANA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aprii 2,1907.

To tall whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. MCOARTHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary or knuckle or couplings for cars, and is an improvement upon the device for the same purpose for which I led an application for Letters Patent of the United States on September 1S, 1906, Serial No. 335,098.

The object of this invention is to provide more adequate means for taking up any lost motion or looseness of the knuckle, but more particularly to provide means for automatically moving the knuckle into open position immediately upon its release by the locking plate or wedge.

I accomplish the objects of this invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in horizontal section longitudinally of the draw-bar of a coupling enibodying my improvements, and Fig. 2 is a vview in vertical section of my invention on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

3 designates a draw-bar, which is arranged under the car-body (not shown) and to which it is attached in any usual and well-known manner. This draw-bar is hollow and has the buffer-head 5 at its front end.

6 designates the knuckle, which in form is substantially like those in common use in' what are known as rotary or knuckle7 couplings and comprises the hook portion 7 to engage with a like member on another car and a curved arm 8 to lock the knuckle. The hollow draw-bar 3 has the inside lugs 9 near its rear portion, and in front of one of these is the locking-plate 10, having the stem 11, which extends back through the lug 9. Between the lug and the locking-plate around the stem oi" bolt 11 is the spirally-wound spring 12, the function of which is to normally press the locking-plate 10 toward the front of the draw-bar. This locking-plate 10 is wedge-shaped, as shown, and its function is to lock the knuckle 6 in its closed position (shown in full lines in Fig. 1) in the manner as fully described and claimed in my former application for patent above referred to. Mounted in front of the opposite-lugV 9 is the head 15, which carries the antifrictionwheel 16. The head 15 has a bolt or stem 18 extending back through its lug 9, and around this bolt is the spirally-wound spring 20, which presses the head 15 constantly toward the knuckle 6. tudinal ribs 21 extending inwardly of its upper and lower sides. These ribs fit into channels 23 in the top and bottom edges of the head 15 and act as guides to direct the movement of the head.

By the action of the spring 20 the antifriction-roller 16 is made to bear constantly against the curved arm S of the knuckle 6, and as the pressure from the spring 20 is delivered against the arm S in a plane at some distance to one side of the knuckle-pin 24 the pressure against the arm has a constant tendency to move the knuckle into its open position, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. Thus it will be seen that when the lockingplate 10 is drawn into the draw-bar sufiiciently to release the end 8 of the knuckle the pressure of the roller 16 by virtue of its spring 20 immediately swings the knuckle into its open position and holds it there until positively closed, which may be done automat- 'ically by the contact with the arm 8 of a corresponding hooked. portion 7 of a -coupling of a car to be coupled oii. Any looseness of the knuckle 6 due to wear or an imperfect fit will be taken up by the action of the spring 20 through the head 15 and the roller 16.

30 is the crank-arm of a rock-shaft, the same as that described in my former application, for retracting the locking-plate 10.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The draw-bar has the longi- 1. In a car-coupling, a hollow draw-bar a y coupling-piece of elbow form pivoted to said bar means for locking the coupling-piece an antifriction-wheel in contact with the inner arm of'the coupling-piece and a spring to press the antifriction-wheel constantly against the coupling-piece and swinfr the l-atter into open position when released by said locking means. I

2. In a car-coupler a hollow draw-bar a coupling-piece of elbow form pivoted within TOO said draw-bar a sliding wedge to look the I Couplingpiece in its closed position a head l mounted within the draw-bar and having a sliding movement longitudinally of the drawbar a spring pressing the head normally tol ward the coupling-piece and an antifriotionwheel carried by the head and bearing oonstantly against the inner arm of the eouplingpiece.

3. In a oar-coupler a hollow draw-bar, a coupling-piece of elbow form located within i and pivoted to said draw-bar, a wedgei shaped looking-plate sliding lengthwise longitudinally of the draw-bar to look the coupling-piece in closed position, a head mounted Within the draw-bar longitudinal ribs in the draw-bar forming guides for said head said draw-bar having an inside lug a stem or bolt carried by said head and passing through said lug a spirally-wound spring surrounding said bolt and located between its head and said lug and an antiriotionwvheel carried by the head having constant Contact with said coupling-piece.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana7 this 27th day of December, A. D. 1906.

JOHN F. MCCARTHY.

Vitnesses:

J. A. MINTURN, PATRICK MLORIARTY. 

